Knowledge Sharing: Improving the Way Large Teams Communicate with Intranet

Irrespective of an organization's size, its workforce's expertise and experience is its most valuable asset. 

It’s no longer enough for your business just to survive; it needs to thrive. And knowledge management and sharing are great ways to get to that level. Knowledge management has the tremendous ability to fully maximize the individual capabilities of a company's workforce and channel it into creating impact and success.

Large teams are typically a mix of multifaceted people with different skill sets and unique experiences. So, effectively channeling their knowledge, experience, and expertise will create a rich silo of information that money cannot buy. It also paves a path for innovation, problem-solving, and organizational success. 

This article will explore strategies for effective knowledge sharing in large teams and the factors that impact knowledge sharing. Ready?

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How Do You Effectively Share Knowledge In A Team?

Knowledge sharing in the workplace is a productive way of channeling employees' focus toward achieving shared goals and objectives.

When done effectively, it produces a smart and unified workforce by ensuring all team members can access impactful knowledge with minimal investment. 

There are various ways to ensure knowledge is shared effectively within a team. However, it's essential to tailor your strategies to gain maximum benefits. Some strategies include:

1. Create a collaborative workspace.
2. Take the lead.
3. Promote continuous learning.
4. Utilize technology tools.
5. Build a knowledge-sharing system.

1. Collaborative workspace.

Knowledge sharing thrives in an atmosphere that supports collaboration. A collaborative workspace promotes open communication and respects diverse opinions. To cultivate and nurture a collaborative work environment, employees should be encouraged to participate actively in discussions, provide feedback and engage in cross-team collaborations. 

In large teams, forming communities of practice are also a great way to sustain a collaborative work environment. 

Communities of practice are informal groups within a large team where individuals with similar expertise come together to exchange knowledge, learn from each other's mistakes and solve common problems. They constitute knowledge-sharing platforms within and across functional boundaries in an organization.

2. Take the lead.

In addition to encouraging team members to share knowledge among themselves, managers must also actively do so.

By their position, managers are often the first recipients of information regarding the latest company policies, new product launches, and other important updates. 

Hence, making information readily available to other team members and acknowledging their feedback lays the precedent for a knowledge-sharing system. 

3. Promote continuous learning.

A well-informed team is an innovation hub. The idea is to ensure that every team member is always in the know because sharing knowledge becomes effective when policies support continuous learning. 

It’s also essential to motivate employees to attend training programs by highlighting the need to be aware of the latest industrial trends, acquire new skills, and explore the latest technologies. 

Experts can also be enlisted to explain complex concepts to employees, even if it's not directly related to their roles. For instance, a training session can be held to educate employees on using emerging software in the industry.

4. Utilize technology tools.

Using the right knowledge-sharing tools ensures your company gets the maximum impact from valuable contributions made by employees. Also, using technology to facilitate knowledge sharing within the team makes it easier to implement, track and reuse.

First, you can incorporate collaboration platforms, project management tools, and knowledge repositories that allow team members to share and access information easily. 

You can also encourage instant messaging, video conferencing, and virtual collaboration tools to bridge geographical barriers and promote real-time knowledge exchange.

5. Develop a knowledge-sharing system.

If a team has no established knowledge and feedback-sharing system, it risks having knowledge silos and, in some instances, knowledge hoarding. 

Therefore, implementing a system that overcomes the barrier of geographical dispersion in teams will benefit organizations with large teams. Implementation should begin while onboarding new hires by emphasizing the benefits of knowledge-sharing. 

Also, inform new hires of their ability to contribute ideas during sessions. This promotes knowledge sharing and improves communication, employee engagement, and feedback culture. 

Maximize knowledge-sharing benefits using Assembly's well-proven blueprint for creating an efficient communication system.Book a demo today!

What Is An Example Of Knowledge Sharing?

A great example of knowledge sharing is mentorship. It ensures that knowledge and skills are passed on within the company. 

While it’s mostly an information exchange between senior and newer team members, the dynamics can vary. Junior team members can also infuse innovative ideas and technological strengths into the team. 

Mentorship programs foster effective knowledge sharing and improve an organization's retention and growth. According to a Sun Microsystems study, mentees were promoted five times more often than those not in a mentorship program; and retention rates were much higher for mentees (72%). 

Mentorship benefits both individual team members and the organization as a whole.

What Are The Two Main Factors That Influence Knowledge Sharing In Teams?

The willingness and ability of employees to share information with others depends largely on the following:

1. Organization's culture
2. Psychosocial safety
   
   

1. Organization's culture

An organization's culture built on accountability and transparency fosters information exchange among employees. Knowledge-sharing becomes seamless when it's part of a company's daily operations. 

Regular team updates cultivate a communicative culture. It also entails making knowledge-sharing efforts a key indicator of employees' performance and rewarding employees committed to sharing fresh perspectives and ideas with the team.

A knowledge-sharing culture is further strengthened when employees see those in leadership regularly using the organization's platform for sharing knowledge. 

2. Psychosocial safety 

Psychosocial safety creates an atmosphere of trust in the workplace. It allows for a work environment where employees feel a sense of acceptance and respect, enabling them freely express their opinions, admit errors, and seek clarifications.

Knowledge-sharing doesn't survive in an environment where employees are reluctant to share their insights due to fear of negative feedback and harsh criticism. Psychological safety requires platforms that are conducive to learning. 

Team building activities are a great way to maintain an environment built on trust and understanding, allowing employees to share knowledge freely.

Assembly has numerous team-building activities. Try one today!

What's The Best Way To Continuously Capture And Share A Team's Knowledge?

Leveraging technology and tools greatly improve knowledge sharing in large teams. It’s the best way to capture and share a team's knowledge continuously.

It involves using knowledge-sharing tools to facilitate staff communication, collaboration, and information exchange. It also entails creating a central repository where all important ideas and information shared in a team are stored for easy access and retrieval.

Technology not only aids in capturing information in a team but also helps organize the information. For instance, using intranets within a team makes information readily accessible to team members. 

Furthermore, knowledge-sharing tools also make microlearning possible. They are broadly classified into three major categories:

1. Communication and collaboration tools.
2. Documentation tools.
3. Project management tools.
   
   

1. Communication and collaboration tools

These messaging tools enable real-time communication and collaboration across cross-functional teams. Examples include:

• Slack

This knowledge-sharing software permits direct messaging and different channels for different topics. It supports file sharing and reduces reliance on email due to its quick communication. 

However, with Slack, there's always the risk of information overload and distractions when not adequately managed.

• Microsoft Teams

It's a collaborative tool that provides a centralized communication and collaboration hub. It also integrates direct messaging, video conferencing, file sharing, and project management.

However, its extensive features often make it overwhelming and challenging to use.

2. Documentation tools

These tools serve the purpose of document management and sharing. Examples include:

• Confluence

This software’s design focuses on knowledge sharing and documentation while enabling content creation and organization.

Although Confluence has a structured and searchable database that makes information easily accessible, its setup is complex and requires continuous maintenance.

• SharePoint

This is a web-based knowledge management and sharing tool that allows for the creation of centralized knowledge repositories. 

SharePoint integrates well with Microsoft tools. However, it often requires proper configuration to suit a team's workflow.

3. Project management tools

These task-tracking tools help to make communication and collaboration easier. Examples of project management tools include:

• Asana

It's a tool that enhances planning, organizing, and tracking your team's work. Asana has customizable workflows, but its optimal performance depends on initial setup and training.

• Trello

Trello uses visual boards and lists to track and monitor the progress of tasks. Trello's flexibility makes it applicable to small and large teams. However, its simplicity often makes it unsuitable for complex projects.

Use Assembly For Improved Team Knowledge Sharing 

Despite the size or geographical dynamicity, every company has unique selling points and what it takes to succeed. However, the reality is that a lot of knowledge is lost in large companies every day because bouncing ideas around with coworkers can be challenging in large companies.

With the onset of cross-functional collaboration, large teams thrive best in a culture that fosters effective knowledge exchange. And a great way to achieve this is by utilizing the right knowledge-sharing tools.

When you integrate the right tools into your workflow, you can overcome distance and size to work more effectively as a team.

Assembly significantly improves knowledge sharing in teams by incorporating the features of communication, collaboration, documentation, and project management. 

Communicate and collaborate more using Assembly. Book a free demo to begin.